Selected quad for the lemma: peace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
peace_n	jerusalem_n	pray_v	prosperity_n	2,298	5	9.5696	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91029	Mishʻam A stay in trouble or The saints rest in the evil day. Exactly discovered from their cordial dependance upon God, and comfortable assistance by him. Shortly digested as the saints manual in the worst of times. The first part. / By Alexander Pringle, a worthless servant to Christ in the work of his Gospel.	Pringle, Alexander, of Harwich.	1657 (1657)	Wing P3500; Thomason E1592_1; ESTC R208844	60,000	209

contagion may be the bane of others We know the right side cannot be well when there is a Pleurifie in the left when the heart is sick the head is heavy Non est enim pondus verae virtutis insensibilitas cordis quia valde insana per stuporem membra sunt quia incisa sentire dolorem non possunt Greg-Mor lib. 2. cap. 16. Where insensibility of the heart is there is no weight of true vertue because the members are unhealthfully stupified and being cut they feel no pain As if the Moralist should have said Analogie of the physical the mystical body When there is no feeling in the heart then the members are dead and vice versâ When the members are mortified the heart is sensless Hence it is easie to unriddle his conception that there must not onely be a symmetry of parts but a Gospel-sympathy of hearts amongst the Lords people in trouble I could heartily wish Objection solved one scruple were removed by the force of this Doctrine before we proceed It is the common Calumny of the wicked Object who have less of God then corruption That there is no such binding relation upon the spirit of any obliging them to a strict observance or sympathising correspondence of and with the suffering condition of the Saints This piece of arrogance hath no little efficacy to break Christian communion and to make our spirits answer with Cain Am I my brothers keeper Therefore to cut the root of this poysonable Coloquintida we shal shortly present two things 1. Sol. As there is nothing more perniciously destructive to common society then such a principle so all the Laws of Religion and Reason do forbid its practice Anima ut in toto corpore tota est in qualibet ejus parte ideo cum sit aliquid in exigua particula corporis quod non sentiat anima illa tamen tota sentit quia totam non latet August de Trinit lib. 6. cap. 6. As the Soul is in all and every part of the Body and there is no part of the Body insensible c. By which is demonstrate the sympathy not onely of the Natural but of the Mystical Body in its life motion affection and mutual compassion 2. Sol. It is a Dictate of the Deity transcribed by Paul Gal. 6.2 That we bear one anothers burthen and so fulfil the law of Christ which speaks nothing more then a fraternal correspondence of the Saints spirits in the time of trouble that as the Saints have common benefit in Christ so they have common burthen for him Members of the same Body are of the same tenderness and feeling if they be not dead and if such they are not of Christs Body or inlived by him Qui non dolet cum pungitur vellicatur pro putrido mortuo membro habetur August Hom. 18. Such a member saith he which is not pained when pinched is deservedly esteemed rotten and dead By which we are certified there is none of Christs Body but such who are touched with a sympathy of his Members Therefore let us savingly conclude Determination as there is no duty of greater utility Saints communion the ground of their compassion so there is none of greater authority to be improved amongst Professors of the same Gospel and its interest then this is Cum patiuntur membra corporis ejusdem quomodo alia membra licet superiora non compatiuntur membris unius corporis laborantibus Ambros-Epist 22. When members of the same Body are suffers how can the one be without the sympathy of anothers trouble Cum membra quaedam sunt in tribulatione quadam in pace istos contristat eorum tribulatio illos pax illorum consolatur August in Psa 30. There is such a communion amongst members of the same Body that they are sad and rejoyce as it goeth well or evil with them in their saddest and most peaceable times It seems it is their practice to mourn with them who mourn and rejoyce with them who rejoyce I have ever observed No such communion as that of the Saints that there is no such communion kept amongst any as amongst the Saints both in adversity and prosperity but especially in the evil day the time of common danger then they all cry with David Do well O Lord c. And so much for the first Proposition The first Doct. finished The second considerable Conclusion Conclus 2 suggested to us by Davids Prayer cometh to hand viz. That the Lord is to be intreated to befriend his people in danger Proved This it seems is Davids Practice let it be our Patern Let us take some pains this day for the Saints profit Esa 62.7 Give him no rest till he repair and set up Jerusalem c. It is not for Saints to be silent whilst their Brethren are suffering We are to pray for Zions prosperity if we love our own Psal 122.6 They shall prosper that love thee The Lord is pleased to make the peace of his people The Saints prayers profitable the return of their prayers that he may not onely ingage them but all of their Brethren in the duty for such a purchase and so it is easie to finde out how zealously and often the spirits of the godly hath been ingaged for their Brethrens security in the day of calamity Because sayes Samuel it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people God forbid that I should sin in resting to pray for you 1 Sam. 12.24 It seems Samuel lookt upon it as an act of iniquity to deprive the Lords people of the Benefit of his Prayers He considered his addresses for them to God might prevent their ruine How importunate is Abraham for the Saints in Sodom Gen. 18.25 26.27 How zealous is Elias for all the Israel of God! Nehemiah Jeremiah and Daniel for the children of the Captivity It is no marvel to reade those gracious Orators so compassionately earnest for the obtainment of their end seeing the prosperity and interest of the Lords people hath been so eminently dear unto them that they have joyntly striven to advance it at their utmost peril I confess there be very solid Arguments and Grounds for the Saints ingagement in behalf of their Brethren Arguments for he Saints prayers in the day of trouble as First in respect of God Demonstrate Exod. 19.5 6. they are owned by him as his inheritance his peculiar treasure though all the earth be his Exod. 19.5 As there is none like himself amongst the gods so there is none like them amongst the Nations They are not onely near but invaluablely dear unto him Precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of his Saints Psal 116. The Saints harm toucheth his honour Zech. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye God is highly concerned both in the Saints injuries and favour he taketh both their enemies and friends as his

destroyeth at noon day A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but they shall not come neer thee I wil be with them in trouble I will deliver and glorifie him with long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation All which be more then ordinary expressions to assure the godly of his favourable assistance and doing well by them in the day of trouble And if the Saints had no more but a word of Promise from him who is holy and true Gods word sufficient to 〈◊〉 the Saints and whose words are more unchangeable then the heavens it were enough but to his Promises we have his precepts and words of authoritie added commanding us to make our addresses to him for help Psal 50.15 Call upon me c. I wil deliver thee c. Saints rely upon promises And David confesseth he had been much with God in that estate and had found such refreshment as his soul could wish Psal 34.7 Thou hast known my soul in adversity saith he Saints find by experience the Lords words true this he speaks by personal experience as to what he had found Doubtless David had such gracious returnes as give his spirit a great deal of enlargement in extremity beyond his ordinary hopes The Scriptures often mention three Qualifications of the Lords Promises to satisfie his servants in order to their assistance Qualifications of the Lords promises to the Saints First they are full Secondly they are free Thirdly they are certain 1. That his Promises are full is very evident because they are given out without any limitation of persons Lords promises indefinite places or dangers of the godly So that it is a part of the Saints Commonwealth of whatsoever magnitude or size they are high low rich poor in whatsoever danger they fall in Saints adventure any where upon Gods Word they are alike sharers in the Promises Let David go in the vally of the shadow of death he is sure of deliverance for God is with him and his rod and Shepherds crook shall comfortably preserve him This precious soul could not be alone in trouble such was the fulnesse of the Lords Promises to him that he had alwaies the Lords presence with him Gods presence and promises alike Gods Promises and Presence are of the same dimension both essentially infinite in their fulness 2. They are free 2d Qualif Free and thus they are held out to the Saints that they may never question their accomplishment or application upon the sense of their own unworthinesse and so when such desires are sent up by them the accomplishment of which may be as a tree of life to them Accomplishment of promises to the godly sweet they may confidently expect a seasonable return And so I find David and others never question that if they call but the Lord will answer to satisfaction Hence the godly are more confident in respect of the promises in the night of their adversity The godly more confident in adversity then the wicked in prosperity then the wicked are negligent by reason of their principles in the day of their prosperity The first hath hope in his death when the other hath no faith in his life 3 3 Qualif Certain That the Promises are certain Christ is the best interpreter of his Fathers words Heaven and earth may passe away but of them there is not one jot to be changed O Lord saith David 2 Sam. 7.28 thou art God and thy words are true Hence the Saints pass with patience through any difficulty without the least of disturbance The patience of the Saints because they are certain by promise that they shall obtain if they run the race with perseverance which is set before them They know that he who is their life and the length of their dayes can support them in opposition to any Antagonist whatsoever according to his promise These things being cordially considered An advertisement in order to an improvement of the premises Gods word of promise should take deep impression upon every heart especially such who have experimentally found the Lord holy and faithful who may comfortably and confidently assert they never sought the Lord in vain but that he hath ever answered above their hopes Oh how should a spirit be touched with the feeling of that favour which hath ever shined cleerest in the cloudiest seasons of their extremity when there was none to befriend but God The Lord a loving friend in extremity Oh let such never forget that it is the Lords custom to conform his kindnesse in the thick of all discouragement that the gale of his goodnesse bloweth in every season His mercies sweet in that season that there is no storm can stop his affection from watering all the plantations of the Saints that he puts counsel and comfort in every corner befitting their condition Gen. 32.29 1 Kin. 17.4 he hath an Angel for Jacob and a Raven for Elijah Fourthly 4th Ground His glory His own glory is another ground of his engagement for his Saints To this Ground we have the Scripture give in great and frequent testimony It seems the Lord speaks much of the tendernesse of his glory God is jealous of his glory that he wil not dispense with its abuse to any I am the Lord The Lords glory ingaged for his people my glory I will not give unto another Isai 42.8 In the Saints troubles the Lords glory is much ingaged the Saints are alwayes sufferers upon his account For thy sake all the day long are we persecuted Note Satan intends to dishonor the Lord by his servants Psal 44.22 It is worth our noting that in the Saints troubles it is not so much Satans design to disquiet the servant as to disgrace the master That putting the Saints from their patience and perseverance he may turne the reproach of their shipwrack and apostacy upon him whom they serve Satan endeavoreth to affront God upon his Saints sufferings who should have espoused their controversie he having engaged to own them in their sharpest conflicts therefore the Lord for his glory hath engaged in opposition to their stoutest enemies Psal 105.14 15. He suffered none to do them wrong he reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm And again He saved them for his name sake Psal 106.8 I remember Moses in his administration doth plead from his glory for his peoples deliverance often in Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie all which with a great many more Scriptures evidences we have to assures that the Lord doth good to his people in point of honor Here it is worth observation Note if the Lord doth impledg or pawne his honor for our peace in adversity We are to serve God as a preserver after deliverance Luke 1.74 we are justly obliged to pay the tribute of

piety to him in the day of our prosperity As the Lord is pleased to look upon us afflicted so we should look upon God being delivered c. As he tendred our good so must we his glory It must not be with the best of Saints as it is with the worst of sinnners to turn the grace of God unto wantonness the most cordial kindness to a carnal profanenesse The wicked unthankful Let us be more the Lords then our own seeing he owned us when we were nothing Saints ingagements Let Gods honour be as precious as it is profitable to us Let us not be so mercenary Gods honor must be precious to us as to balance its commodity and not its excellency It is of greater worth then all we can have by it Let it therefore be our piety to pay it its due and our sincerity to contribute all our endeavours to the promoting of its interest Ingratitude is the shame of Saints What ingratitude is and the Seale of sinners As it is the heighth of Sacriledge to rob God of his Glory so it is the purest worship in the Sanctuary to advance his honor therefore as Blaspemy is a subject of the greatest iniquity Blasphemy a dishonor to God and the object of justice so let it be the object of the greatest severity For as it was crueltie to Israel to spare Amalek so it is no friendship to God or his truth to favour their enemies Let us then take notice of that glory ingaged for us Nothing to be preferred before Gods glory that our zeal be impartially ingaged for it Fifthly 5th Ground Wickeds power The power of the Saints enemies is a ground of his ingagement for them Many times it falls out that the godly are over-powered The Lord is the saints reserve and their party worsted then it pleaseth the Lord to step into the field with a recruit It seems this hath been often Israels case Psal 129.1 2 3. The Church lamenteth thus They have oftentimes afflicted me from my youth may Israel now say c. the Plowers have plowed upon my back and made long furrowes but they could not prevail against me mark it for the righteous Lord hath cut the cords of the wicked I find here a clear confirmation of all this truth we read in this testimony that the Lord appears for his people when hopeless to do any thing for themselves in opposition to their enemies I remember in the time of Israels Aristocracy or Government under Judges they were often sadly and sharply put to it by their enemies An observation of the Saints trouble and their help insomuch that if the Lord had not pitied their misery they had been undone by the malignant ability of their mercilesse adversaries But we find there recruiting recorded for the accomplishment and establishment of their brethren in such a case That religious deportment of precious Hezekiah towards the reproaching Ribaldrie of railing Rabshekah is very memorable It seems he troubles not himselfe with his language or Letter The Saints leave their enemies to God but leaves both to the Lords consideration and reading for his return he speaks not a word to him Saints are often silent when most falsly traduced or accused so was their Savior before Pilate Luke 23.9 but spreads his Libel before the Lord that he might answer it He knew that Ashurs Army was to hard for him but not for the Lord who could quickly dispatch them by one Commission Officer and so he had them routed and ruined in a night Judgment to the wicked This Point of the Lords assistance threatens dreadfully the deluded spirits of the Churches adversaries they dream not of such an Auxiliary in their confident combatings with the godly but it seems they are mistaken they find a stronger and more eminent Antagonist then they are aware and therefore it is hard for them to kick against the pricks And this speaketh well for the godly Mercy to the godly who commonly have fewest friends but most enemies that they have a reserve when weakest to grapple with their strongest and greatest adversaries 2 Cor. 12.10 It is the Saints glory to confesse when they are weak then they are strong Let us therefore in all our conflicts mind more the favour of our God then the fury of our adversaries Let us joyn with him to befriend us Applic. whose power is dreadful to all that oppose us Let us speak our troubles to him that our spirits may have ease Let us rest upon him who will not fail us Let us keep a familiar correspondence with God in our prosperity that he be no stranger to us in the day of our calamity Plety the Saints policy It is not the least part of the Saints policy to gather with God and scatter with the world they can be no losers by such an exchange in the day of trouble He that hath the Lord for his friend and the world for his enemie he hath Piety in his right hand and Prudence in his left He is looked upon as the best of Saints and wisest of men whose troubles prove but tryals to depend upon God and seeing it is the Lords practise to frustrate the wickeds power let us have heavenly affections in our greatest distractions Setled spirits in calamity and never fear that enemy which the Lord cannot only out-wit but outwork Sixthly Ground 6 Saints pressures The Saints pressures under the weight of their troubles doth ingage the benefit of the Lords assistance and support under such a burden Exod. 3.7 I have surely seen the trouble of my people and I was to them as he that taketh off the yoak Hos 11.4 I remember David Psal 10.11 The wickeds delusion sets downe the wicked under a strange delusion asserting that the Lord did take no notice of what the Saints did suffer or they impose upon them He hideth his face say they he wil not see by Satan It seems the devil charmeth their spirits to this apprehension as he did the old Epicures Deus nec curat sui aut alieni But how ever such are sinfully deluded The Saints perswasion suffering Saints are more graciously schooled and know better of God That he beholdeth mischief and wrong and taketh it in his own hand Psal 10.14 The godly should have duram provinciam a hard task of their troubles To be neglected of God the saddest trouble if whilst they are afflicted by men they should be neglected by God Such an oversight should more inwardly wound them then all their wretched enemies could outwardly wrong them What Gods favor is to Saints for his favour is better then life and his frowning is worser then death to a gracious spirit and therefore the fainting fits of our infirmity are the designed objects of his paternal clemency God is tender over his Saints He will not suffer our brudens to sink